Taxi to Church

Three years ago Charles J. Gray was out of a job and nearly broke when he began to drive a taxi in a suburb of Flint, Mich. For a while he had some rough going, but now he owns the North End Cab Co., with six taxis and an office. A few weeks ago 46-year-old Cabman Gray decided it was time to do something he had been thinking about for a long time. He called up the six churches in his area (five Protestant and one Roman Catholic) and told them he would give free cab rides to anyone who wanted to go to church on Sunday morning. Last week, after two Sundays of free rides, Cabman Gray, son of a Methodist minister, could report that his idea was a solid success.

"Last Sunday our fleet made 30 trips, with a total of 150 passengers," he said. "When I am offered money, I suggest that they put the amount of the fare into the church collection box." Gray pooh-poohs the financial sacrifice on his part. "In the early morning, business is bad," he explains. "I just wanted to thank the Lord for my good fortune."

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